Tobacco carrier



June 12, 1956 L. 0. SMITH 2,749,957

TOBACCO CARRIER Filed July 8, 1954 INVENTOR LEO D. SMITH ATTORNEY United States Patent 'ce TOBACCO CARRIER Leo D. Smith, Hookerton, N. C.

Application July 8, 1954, Serial No. 442,006

7 Claims. (Cl. 150-1) This invention relates to the production and handling of tobacco including means by which it is displayed on the auction floor and by which it may be transferred to other places where it is desirable to support and move tobacco.

Heretofore, it has been customary to place hands of tobacco in a substantially flat basket, place it on the auction floor in rows to be sold by the auctioneer. Due to the fact that these baskets are fragile and they require much handling their life is relatively short and the expense of maintenance is great. After the tobacco is sold on the auction floor, it is customary for workmen to place a sheet over the pile of tobacco in the basket and invert the tobacco so that it is held within the sheet and the basket is removed. This results in damage to and loss of tobacco and is a process of handling which is complicated.

'It is an object of the invention to provide a carrier or holder for tobacco by means of which the tobacco may be easily displayed, wrapped in a bundle, and otherwise handled for purposes of sale and processing, thereby reducing the cost of handling, the injury and loss to the tobacco, rendering the movement of the tobacco from place to place simpler, and not requiring the inverting of the same, so that it may be removed from relatively expensive baskets in which it is customarily displayed on the auction floor.

Another object of the invention is to accelerate, simplify, and reduce the cost of handling of tobacco by providing means which includes an inexpensive carrier designed for use not only in the display of the tobacco but to cover and protect the tobacco during movement, materially reducing the cost of handling and the damage to the tobacco.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective of a bundle or package of tobacco illustrating one application of the invention;

Fig. 2, a top plan view of the carrier;

Fig. 3, a bottom plan view of the carrier and disclosing the wear-resistant reinforcement; and

Fig. 4, section on the line 44 of Fig. 2.

Briefly stated, the invention comprises a tobacco carrier in the form of a substantially square flexible sheet of relatively tough durable material such as burlap, canvas, or other substance, which sheet has reinforced corners and edges and crossed diagonal reinforcing straps with tapered fasteners at each end so that when the corners of the sheet are folded toward each other about a pile of tobacco such fasteners may be connected by means of a cord or rope for securing such corners in the desired relation. The sheet may be reinforced by the. application of a wear-resistant netting applied to its bottom surface over a relatively large central area upon which tobacco is adapted to be received and permitting the sheet to be dragged along the floor with a load of tobacco thereon.

With continued reference to the drawings, the tobacco carrier of the present invention comprises a flexible sheet 13 of webbing or other material.

10 of heavy burlap, canvas, or other preferably tough durable and wear-resistant material having turned over and stitched reinforced edges 11, and triangular corner pieces 12 stitched to the body of the sheet 10 to reinforce such corners.

The sheet 10 is provided with crossed diagonal straps Such straps are sewn along each edge and along their centers to the sheet 10 and the portions of the straps are folded reversely and toward each other over the upper surface of the sheet 10 to provide loops 14 for tapered fastening members 15 so that cords or ropes may be employed for connecting such fastening members, on the opposite ends of the reinforcing straps, in the proper relative position for covering, enclosing or providing a casing for a pile of tobacco and by means of which the bundle or package thus formed may be readily moved or transported.

The wear-resistant netting 17 may be applied to the bottom surface of the sheet over a relatively large central area upon which tobacco is adapted to be supported. This netting is composed of lengths of cord located in parallel relation and additional lengths of cord disposed in similar manner at right angles to the first.

In the use of the device the carrier is placed on the floor or other fiat surface and hands or bundles of tobacco 18 are placed in parallel relation in a row thereon. A second row 19 is placed at right angles to the first, a third row 20 at right angles to the second and parallel to the first, a fourth row 21 at right angles to the third and first and in opposition to the second row. This arrangement is continued until the pile of tobacco is of the desired size. It will be noted that the wrapped butts of the stems provide a space between the end of the first row and the beginning of the second, between the end of the second and the beginning of the third, between the end of the third and the beginning of the fourth, between the end of the fourth and the beginning of the first so that the tobacco will not be injured when the corners of the carrier are raised and folded toward each other over the tobacco to form a package such as that shown in Fig. 1 and in which the tobacco is substantially completely enclosed and protected. After the corners are raised the cords 16,- attached to thefasteners 15 in the ends of the.

crossed straps, may be connected'to the fasteners 15 in the opposite ends of the straps and such connections employed for lifting the package.

of the same, requires fewer manual operations, and keeps the tobacco in better condition with less damage.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made in the invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof and therefore the invention is not limited by that which is shown in the drawing and described in the specification, but only as indicated in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A tobacco carrier comprising a substantially square sheet of relatively tough durable material having reinforced corners and edges, crossed diagonal reinforcing straps attached to the under side of said sheet, tapered fasteners at each of the ends of said crossed straps so that when the corners of the sheet are folded toward each other about a pile of tobacco such fasteners can be employed for securing such corners in the desired relation, 2. wear-resistant netting applied to the bottom surface of said sheet over a relatively large central area upon which tobacco is adapted to be received, said netting being composed of lengths of cord disposed in spaced substantially parallel relation and additional cord disposed in a similar manner at right angles to the first, said straps being composed of webbing stitched along its edges and central portion to said sheet and having its end portions folded reversely over the upper surface of the sheet providing loops for said tapered fastening means at each of the corners of the sheet.

2. A tobacco carrier comprising a substantially square sheet of relatively tough durable material having reinforced corners and edges, crossed diagonal reinforcing straps attached to the under side of said sheet, tapered fasteners at each of the ends of said crossed straps so that when the corners of the sheet are folded toward each other about a pile of tobacco such fasteners can be employed for securing such corners in the desired relation, a wear-resistant netting applied to the bottom surface of said sheet over a relatively large central area upon which tobacco is adapted to be received, said straps being composed of webbing stitched along its edges and central portion to said sheet and having its end portions folded reversely over the upper surface of the sheet providing loops for said tapered fastening means at each of the corners of the sheet.

3. A tobacco carrier comprising a substantially square sheet of relatively tough durable material having reinforced corners and edges, crossed diagonal reinforcing straps attached to the under side of said sheet, tapered fasteners at each of the ends of said crossed straps so that when the corners of the sheet are folded toward each other about a pile of tobacco such fasteners can be employed for securing such corners in the desired relation, reinforcing member applied to the bottom surface of said sheet over its central area, said straps being composed of webbing stitched along its edges and central portion to.

said sheet and having its end portions folded reversely over the upper surface of the sheet providing loops for said tapered fastening means at each of the corners of the sheet.

4. A tobacco carrier comprising a substantially square sheet of relatively tough durable material having reinforced corners and edges, crossed diagonal reinforcing straps attached to the under side of said sheet, tapered fasteners at each of the ends of said crossed straps so that when the corners of the sheet are folded toward each other about a pile of tobacco such fasteners can be employed for securing such corners in the desired relation, a wear-resistant netting applied to the bottom surface of said sheet over a relatively large central area upon which tobacco is adapted to be received, said netting being composed of lengths of cord disposed in spaced substantially parallel relation and additional cord disposed in a similar manner at right angles to the first.

5. A tobacco carrier comprising a flexible sheet of relatively tough durable material reinforced along its edges and at its corners, crossed diagonal reinforced straps 4 attached to the under surface of said sheet and having their ends reversely folded to provide loops, tapered fasteners attached to said loops, ropes attached to the fasteners at one end of each of said crossed straps, said sheet being adapted to have its corners folded toward each other over a pile of tobacco and the fasteners connected by means of said ropes for securing the corners of the carrier in the 4 desired relation, and wear-resistant netting applied to the bottom surface of the sheet over a relatively large central area upon which the tobacco is received permitting the sheet to be dragged along the floor.

6. A combination tobacco carrier and display device comprising a substantially square sheet of flexible relatively strong wear-resistant material designed to receive a pile of tobacco thereon for display purposes and to serve as a wrapper and carrier in the handling of the tobacco, said sheet having reinforced corners and edges and crossed diagonal reinforcing straps with tapered fasteners at each end so that when the corners of the sheet are folded toward each other about a pile of tobacco such fasteners can be employed for securing such corners in the desired relation, said sheet being reinforced over a relatively large central area upon which tobacco is adapted to be received, said straps having their edges and central portions stitched to said sheet and with the end portions of said straps folded reversely over the upper surface of said sheet providing loops for said tapered fasteners at each of the corners of the sheet.

7. A combination tobacco carrier and display device comprising a substantially square sheet of flexible relatively strong wear-resistant material. designed to receive a pile of tobacco thereon for display purposes and to serve as a wrapper and carrier in the handling of the tobacco, wear-resisting reinforcing means secured over a relatively large portion of the central area of said sheet upon which tobacco is adapted to be received, said sheet having diagonal reinforcing straps attached thereto with end portions adjacent the corners of said sheet, fasteners connected to such end portions so that when the corners of the sheet are folded toward each other about a pile of tobacco such fasteners can be employed for securing such corners in the desired relation.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 526,566 Field Sept. 25, 1894 624,839 Merrill et al. May 9, 1899 1,123,609 Spesha Jan. 5, 1915 1,172,204 Gerhardstein Feb. 15, 1916 1,335,607 Salisbury Mar. 30, 1920 1,385,695 MacCormack July 26, 1921 2,440,712 Bickell May 4, 1948 

